09Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Starter gun sounded for the ‘new son’ of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework – the ‘Development Plan for the Nine’

Starter gun sounded for the ‘new son’ of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework – the ‘Development Plan for the Nine’

Borough news
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority will consider approving in principle a proposal to develop a new plan to build homes across nine of the ten districts of Greater Manchester at a meeting of its Executive next Friday (12 February). Surprisingly no specific timescale is given in the report for the plan’s production, but the Government requires a local plan to be in place by December 2023. The previous Greater Manchester Spatial Framework proposals were abandoned at the end of last year after Liberal Democrat Councillors in Stockport led the charge to withdraw that authority from the controversial plan. Oldham’s Leader of the Opposition, Liberal Democrat Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, hopes that the leaders of the nine remaining authorities, eight of which are Labour-led and one Conservative, will use this new…
Read More
09Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Shocking three year wait for disabled people left isolated without parking bays

Shocking three year wait for disabled people left isolated without parking bays

Borough news
The Liberal Democrats have revealed the shocking truth that some disabled people in Oldham have had to wait for almost three years for a parking bay. And, sadly, there seems no end in sight as Oldham’s Labour Administration has not allocated any funding for the creation of disabled parking bays in the last two financial years. Disabled parking bays require minimal work, the area designated as the bay is painted onto the highway and they only require a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to be issued. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE wrote to the Deputy Chief Executive of Oldham Council in January taking up the issue of the wait time on behalf of one of his Shaw constituents. He was seeking answers about what was happening with the backlog, and found those…
Read More
09Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Abrahams approach to tax doesn’t add up

Abrahams approach to tax doesn’t add up

Borough news
Oldham East and Saddleworth's Labour MP Debbie Abrahams opposition to taxing online giants such as Amazon on Politics North West this weekend has been criticised by Oldham Councillor and tax campaigner Sam Al-Hamdani. When asked if she would support proposals to introduce an online sales tax, intended to combat tax avoidance and raise money for the Coronavirus response, Abrahams said: “Not at this stage.” She even pushed back against the presenter’s suggestion that: “There is nothing wrong with getting the online giants to pay their tax”, saying: “I wouldn’t want to be considering increases in taxation at this stage.” Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said that the MP’s response did not add up. “It shows a complete disregard for what is happening in the real world. While people running local…
Read More
09Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
New IPPR report shows Hostile Environment must go

New IPPR report shows Hostile Environment must go

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Institute for Public Policy Research’s new report, ‘Beyond the Hostile Environment’, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said:“As this report shows, the UK’s immigration system is broken and it is hurting us all. The appalling Windrush Scandal should have been the end of the Hostile Environment, but despite their apologies the Conservatives have kept their cruel, discriminatory policies in force. “People who have every right to live in the UK are wrongfully denied healthcare, made homeless, detained and even deported. Public confidence in the system has been shattered. This has to stop. “We owe it to the victims of the Windrush Scandal to ensure that nothing like it ever happens again. That’s why Liberal Democrats are fighting to scrap the Hostile Environment and build a fair…
Read More
06Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Our pledge to make Oldham Borough “healthier, greener and cleaner”

Our pledge to make Oldham Borough “healthier, greener and cleaner”

Borough news
The Oldham Liberal Democrats will be proposing in their amendment to Labour’s 2021-22 Council Budget measures to make Oldham a ‘Healthier, Greener and Cleaner’ Borough. They have found cash to invest in: three much needed new health centres for Shaw and Crompton, Saddleworth, and Chadderton;make Oldham Council greener and more energy efficient;improve pavements;and tackle speeding, anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and dog-fouling across communities. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance and the Green agenda, Councillor Chris Gloster, will be first presenting the Liberal Democrat’s Budget Amendment to the Council’s Performance and Value for Money Committee when it meets on 9 February, for pre Council scrutiny before tabling it for consideration by the Full Council when it debates the budget on 4 March. Over the next five…
Read More
04Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Brexit export fiasco: Lib Dems call on PM to meet businesses now

Brexit export fiasco: Lib Dems call on PM to meet businesses now

Parliamentary news
Today a new poll by YouGov/HSBC has found that 42% of British exporters said the exit from the single market and customs union has had a “negative impact” on their business. Responding to these findings, Sarah Olney MP, Liberal Democrats spokesperson for Business, Trade, and Transport, said: “Boris Johnson has betrayed British business in his bodged Brexit deal. These new findings serve as a harsh reminder that this Government showed no interest in securing a trade deal which would work for the British people. It was a deal signed purely out of political self-interest. “I call on Boris Johnson to meet with British exporters, particularly small businesses, struggling with his new regime of red tape and listen to their concerns. The Government must own up to their mistakes and rectify…
Read More
04Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
No excuse not to plan for COVID support until summer

No excuse not to plan for COVID support until summer

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Prime Minister's latest COVID press conference, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: “This press conference sounded a lot like the Government and the scientists starting to build the case for strict restrictions until all the over 50s have been vaccinated. “The hallmark of Boris Johnson’s response to the pandemic has been a failure to plan properly. If the Government is expecting restrictions until at least summer then they need to come clean with the public and put the proper financial packages in place now. “It seems that the Prime Minister will be faced with a choice in the next few weeks. Either follow the science until the NHS is protected or give in to his backbenches and repeat the same mistakes made time and time…
Read More
03Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats back Union’s ‘No child should be hungry’ appeal

Borough news
Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Councillors are backing a union appeal to Boris Johnson urging the Prime Minister to ensure that ‘No child should be hungry’. The National Education Union, which represents teaching staff, has called on councillors from all political parties, and none, to endorse a collective letter to the PM asking for immediate action. Liberal Democrat Councillors in Oldham have long been campaigning for the extension of free school meals to all children in need. They recently brought a motion to the November 2020 meeting of Oldham Council supporting the excellent work being done by footballer Marcus Rashford and calling on the government to provide free school meals to the children of all families in receipt of Universal Credit. The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group,…
Read More
03Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
5p a day increase is an insult to carers

5p a day increase is an insult to carers

Parliamentary news
Reacting to Carers UK delivering a letter from near 5,000 carers calling on the Chancellor to acknowledge unpaid carers’ contribution throughout the crisis, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey MP said: “People looking after loved ones during Covid are doing a remarkable job, in very difficult circumstances. They deserve much more support. “Millions of unpaid carers have faced serious financial hardship during the pandemic, and the Government’s plan for an extra 5p a day is frankly an insult. “That’s why Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to support carers properly, by raising Carer’s Allowance by £1,000 a year immediately, in line with the uplift in Universal Credit. “This awful virus has shown that Britain is a nation of carers, but it seems Ministers haven’t noticed. “Liberal Democrats are…
Read More
03Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Post-lockdown crime surge: Govt must act now

Post-lockdown crime surge: Govt must act now

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrats have renewed calls on the Government to restore community policing and youth services, as new official figures show that police-recorded crime rose by 20% after the first lockdown was lifted last summer, returning to pre-Covid levels. Responding to the figures, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: “The steep rise in crime last summer is alarming. The Government must act fast to prevent a similar surge when the current lockdown is lifted. “For far too long, Conservative Ministers have been trying hard to seem tough on crime, but failing to do what works to actually prevent it. “Liberal Democrats understand that police need the officers, resources and time to focus on preventing and solving crimes, and that young people need a positive alternative to gangs and violence.…
Read More